From the Land of High Passes

Journey to Leh and beyond: June 2014

From top: 1) Captured Pak army bunker at the Kargil War Memorial (rather small, isn't it?) 2) Entrance to the Kargil War Memorial, 3) First view of River Indus at Upshi enroute to Leh, 4)The gorgeous, famous Lake Pangong, 5) Namik La, just one of the many high mountain passes we crossed, 6) Roadside dhabas at Rohtang Pass between Manali and Leh, 7)Snow by the wayside, 8) More snow, 9) Lovely view of the Indus

Our road trip to Leh was a dream fulfilled. A journey planned for many years and finally done in June last year. The route we took was Chandigarh- Srinagar- Kargil- Leh- passes beyond and then back to Leh- Manali- Chandigarh. What can I say about Ladakh? It's the Land of High Passes, a remote, unspoilt place where people are still decent and kind and honest. Leh itself is crowded and full of the inevitable tourist jamboree but go beyond to Khardung La (for the uninitiated, 'La' means 'Pass'), to Nubra Valley to Pangong Lake and other amazing places that'll leave you breathless and wanting more.

A trip to the Kargil War Memorial in Drass (the second coldest inhabited place on earth! The first is in Siberia, Russia) is a sobering event. You realize just how close the enemy had come! They had a clear view of the National Highway. Tiger Hill looms in the horizon, a testimony to the Indian Army's triumph and there's certainly an air of tension and caution now. A second Kargil War won't happen. This time we won't be caught napping. Here are photos of two stones with details of the battle. Take a moment to read them.

Every moment of that trip is special but a word of caution: high altitude sickness. It was a huge lesson for me. No more Superwoman! I suffer from asthma off and on and while it's mostly under control, yours truly had a bad scare during the trip. I experienced breathing problems from Drass onwards and once we reached Leh, I found it hard to even walk up to the hotel room. `Thought the road trip would've acclamatized me but it didn't. My husband and son had no problems, though. Thank God. We didn't heed our friend's warnings (our dear Sonam Yangdol, who's a Ladakhi) and we took off for Khardung La the next day. It's over 15000 feet! I was okay until we got out of our Skoda Yeti at Khardung La. Then it hit me. I just couldn't breathe! Panic-stations! Fortunately, a taxi driver intervened with an oxygen canister and also directed us to an army post nearby. There in a dramatic fashion, I was put on oxygen by the most solicitous army personnel. We laughed about it later but I had to breathe in from oxygen canisters for the rest of the trip until we reached Manali, which is at a lower altitude. It was the kind of excitement we could've done without but- hey- doesn't this make the trip more adventurous?

Go visit Leh whenever you can. Remember, India has the highest mountains in the world. Why leave them unexplored?

Guess who came to dinner: Meetings with Mithun

From top: In 1984 -Mithun and I at our home in Guntur, Mithun with Stephen on his lap and Kareena sitting beside, Mithun talking to Dad at a hotel hosted by Rakesh Roshan, all of us at home (Monty is not in the picture), Mithun talking to Stephen while the maid and I look on, Mithun- Dad- Rakesh Roshan. And the last one from 1987, a surprise meeting with Mithun in Kudremukh, Karnataka. Kareena and I in the photo. The T-shirt he's wearing had little Mimoh's face on it!

And this is how it all began...

Imagine you're a 14 year-old girl and you're told your idol is coming home for dinner. How would you react?

1984, Guntur District in Andhra Pradesh. Dad was Superintendent of Police. One day (in Feb, I think it was) school was abuzz with the news that Mithun Chakraborty was in town. He'd arrived with Rakesh Roshan and a large star cast for shooting Jaag Utha Insaan. In those days it was a rarity for Hindi movies to be shot in the South so everyone was super excited. Mithun was at the peak of his popularity. Disco Dancer had released a few years back, cementing him as one of the biggest Hindi movie stars ever. My siblings and I were huge fans and we had his posters on our bedroom walls...along with Stallone's! Imagine my delight when I rushed home from school and cried:
"Mom! Mom! Guess what? Mithun is in town! We've got to meet him. Please!"
"Really?" Mom said with a mysterious smile. "I wonder who's coming home for dinner tonight?"
And it actually happened; The man himself (and other lead actors of the movie) landed up at our bungalow that night. Mithun alighted from his car with a flourish and said:
"Hi, I'm Mithun Chakraborty."
Need I add he had us and our staff completely floored?

This was so long ago and I'm a little hazy about every word spoken but I do recall that Mithun was the coolest and most down-to-earth guy one could imagine. We kids took him up to our rooms and showed him his posters and he seemed to be touched and honoured (was probably humouring us; he's an awesome actor, after all). He answered all our silly questions:
'Who's your favourite heroine?' (I remember that answer but won't tell!)
'Do you perform your own stunts?'
'Which is your favourite role?'
'What are your dogs' names?' ( I recall two: Selukas and Henna)
'Why don't you do more films opposite...?'
He was patient and good-humoured amidst all that grilling! He also charmed our cook by walking into the kitchen to see what was for dinner.

We kids and Mom visited the sets a couple of times, the cast invited us for a return meal at their hotel, and we met Mithun on and off over the next few years. `Visited his flat in Bandra in 1985 when his oldest son Mimoh was a toddler. In 1987 we had another chance encounter when Dad was on deputation to the CISF and we accompanied him to Kudremukh in Karnataka. We were thrilled to find a movie crew checking into the same guest house and- wonder of wonders- whom should be the hero of the film but Mr. Chakraborty himself? We all spent another memorable evening in his company.

One can go on and on about Mithun...as I knew him then. About his generosity when he visited the Police boys' hostel and other little kindnesses he displayed. I remember all the stories he told us about his experiences of working in movies. But that would take ages and memories are best left private. My sister, brothers and I talk about our meetings with Mithun sometimes and we remember him fondly. We've been incredibly fortunate to see the 'normal' side of an iconic movie star who's still going strong.